PERSONAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 December 1917, Page 4

PERSONAL.

A London cable states that General SI Van de Venter has been created a KlUghj Commander of the Order of the Bath. Mr. and Mrs. T. Barr have advice that their son, Private W. G. Barn 22nd Reinforcements, is returning to New Zealand shortly. Mrs. Higgs,. of Young Street, has re. wived word that her son, Corporal S, Higgs, who left with the 12th Reinforcements a>ul wag wounded in Prance, ii shortly returning to New Zealand. Mr. C. H. Burgess, Mayor of*2fe« Plymouth, left by the mail train toi Auckland and Rotorua on Saturday: morning. He expectß to be away about three weeks. Among the invalided soldier* return, ing to New Zealand shortly are Captain Bramnmll (Hawera*, Second-Lietttenaat Gilshnan (Kakaramea), Private < Ji Thompson (Normanby), and Sergeant 01 6. Smith (Hawera). . " f Colonel Mclnnis and Staff-Captain' Wallace, who conducts? special meeting* for th e local corps of the Saltation Army yesterday, leave by the mail, train thia morning. They will be accompanied by the local officers and will travel as for as Eltham in order to attend a special meeting there to-night by Commissioner Hodder, the head of the Salvation Amy in, New Zealand, who conducted apodal meetings there yesterday. In the latest casualty list the names of the following local men appear:— Died of sickness: Rifleman A. H. Mile» (0 Miles, Inglewood, father;. gtm dangerously ill: Corporal R. Jones (Taranaki)., Removed from seriously ill list: H. Burnett (New Plymouth), J. Brown (Stratford). Severe cases: C. WilJ Hams (Taranaki). Not severe cases- Vj J. Byrne (Taranaki). After being thirty years in the service of Mr. Newton King,' Mr. A. E.* Martin has been compelled to relinquish his employment on account of ill-health. For the last four months he has been on sick leave, and the state of his health is still such that he will, for a long time at any rate, be fit only for a very light occupation. "i Mrs. F. L. Trueman, St. Aubyn Street, has received advice from the Minister of Defence that her husband. Private F. L; Trneman lias been awarded the Military* Medal for gallantry on the'field of action". Private Trueman, who wa, before'enlisting in the 7th Reinforcements cmploved as a rivetter at the Taranaki Oil Well* Refinery, has been on active service over two years. ; Private Ernest G. Tichbon, who accord-' ing to latest casualty -lists has been killed in action, was a son of Mr. T. Tichbon. formerly of Stratford,.and now of New Plymouth. He sailed with the 21th Reinforcements as a machine-gun specialist. Private Ticlibon was a married man and leaves a wife and two I young children, to whom general sym[pathy will be extended in tßcir bereavement, as well as to his parents and mem- ■ bers of his family. In the latest list of war honors conferred upbn New Zealanders there appear the names of the following local men:— Distinguished Conduct Medal: C.S.M. P. W. H. Sbepherd (J. Shepherd, Carrington Road..New Plymouth, father), C.S.M. .L W. Voylc (Mrs. Mary Vovle, Stratford, mother), Sergeant S. C. Hoot (Mrs. ' F. Foot, 577 -.-on Street, .New Plvmouth, mother). Military Medal: Troorr S. ,L. Goodin (John Goodin, Pungarehu, father). The Hon. Sir' Charles Christopher Bowen, Kt„ K.0.M3., MOW?., whose ' death took place at Christohurch on Wednesday, had a long and distinguished * career in New Zealand policies. He had come out to New Zealand with the first party of Canterbury settlers as a private secretary to Mr. Godley, bringing with him a first-class education, obtained at Rugby and Cambridge. At this time also the lion, gentleman was writing most of the political leading articles in the Lyttelton Times,, of which paper he and Mr.'Crosby Wftrd were joint owners for a few years. Sir Charles Bowen co-operated with Mr. Moorhouse and the Provincial Government in inaugurating the flrat New Zealand railway, and urged the construction of the Lyttelton tunnel—a huge undertaking in those days. In 1859 he made a trip to England. In 1862 he wa* back again in the colony and .was ap-' pointed a Magistrate at Christchurch—a position he held for ten years. In 1874 he became Minister of Justice in the Vogel Ministry, and was called to the Upper House. Shortly afterwards, however, he resigned to contest the Kaiapoi seat, which had become vacant, and was successful. In 1877 he succeeded in getting his Education Act through Parliament. Under this Act, a necessary result of the abolition of the provincial system, the Dominion's national system of primary education was for the first time introduced. Throughout his career Sir Charles Bowen took great interest in educational matters. Ho was called to t,he Legislative Council again in 1891. In lflOß he was elected' Speaker of the Council, and held office until his retirement from the Council. Deceased was related to the late Lord Chief Justice, the Right Hon. Sir Charles S. C. Bowen. His sons all occupy distinguished positions in various parts of the 1 world.